Exhaust Manifold leak? Oh i think so...

Martyred · Jul 23, 2006

Hey guys/gals,

So I finally drove my 1966 Mustang from Columbus MS to Chapel Hill NC. Yes the car is in that good of shape to drive it 14 hours (yes i stopped freaquently!). Now that i have it here and in my apt garage its time to start looking at what parts i need to upgrade / restore / trash. It has been about 5 years since i actually looked at the stang, my father was using it as a daily driver for when he is rarely in town from trips, so he upkept it really well. Not a rust spot on the whole frame, which im happy to see. Anyhow he was worried that it might have a leak or crack in the Manifold, so i went down to my garage this morning and decided to take a look, this is what i saw:

Removing the Manifold is a fun task... its all about how we can place bolts at the worst angels. Had to remove the starter in order to get to some bolts. Which is now my problem. I've attached several photos of the horrible state the gasket was in, the manifold, may it rust in piece, and some shots of the over all Inline 6 engine and the car itself. Anyone in one of the pics you can see that three of the exhaust manifold bolts have rusted so badly that they broke off.

I'm guessing that at this point my only option is to remove the head and drill the screws out and re tap them? Anyone else been in this situation or know any tips to get those rusted screws out?

Martyred · Jul 23, 2006

Mabye i posted too much and no one saw that i had a question:

Anyone know how i can get broken screws out of my engine head:

Cobain03 · Jul 23, 2006

go to a store.. get some penetrating oil (i use PB Blaster and swear by it). since obviously its down for a little bit spray the bolts near the head. do this three or four times a day for a couple of days (maybe over kill, but do you really want to drill the head?) take some vice grips, grip the suckers and twist.

hopefully, this may work.

hhead · Jul 23, 2006

after letting them soak with the penetrating oil, you might be able to double nut the long studs and back them out that way. the short was is going to be tough. if all else drill and retap.

Martyred · Jul 23, 2006

It was really hard to even get a small grip on the screws that are sticking out, but i will try the PB Blaster stuff... the Tiny bit of the screw that is left of the thrid one makes me worry i wont be able to get a grip on it at all...

I had planned to disassemble the Inline Six to clean it up abit and the engine bay, so i might just take the head off anyway. I plan to upgrade my engine, but i have to do my breaks and suspension first, so i have to make sure the I6 is in safe working order.

Thanks for the advice!

hhead · Jul 23, 2006

if you want to get the car back running in the mean time, the drilling and retapping is fast and easy! if the studs break off the rest of the way, or strip. Just drill them out and retap. 1 hour at the most with all the supplies in hand. You don't need to remove the heads to do this. the drill is just to ream out the old stud. you can use an electric hand drill. a right angle drill works good in your situation. the tap is best by hand so as to keep it at a right angle to the hole. don't forget to put rags in the intake ports so as not to let the filings go in!

Martyred · Jul 23, 2006

So i've done some looking to see if i can find a replacement manifold, but i cant find a single person or store that has a 1966 inline six mustang exhaust manifold... does anyone know where i can find one? I guess i can always just weld any cracks if i cant find another one.

Cobain03 · Jul 23, 2006

check mustangsplus or mustangsunlimited.

Martyred · Jul 23, 2006

hahah, looks like $200 for a replacement, looks like its spot weld and patch it up untill i can drop my new engine in!

Thank you all for your input thus far!

stangkid88 · Jul 24, 2006

I know you've got more important things on your mind, but new carpet would look great in that interior. Good luck, and let us know what happens with the screws.

85 Turbo Bird · Jul 24, 2006

waht about those screw/bolt removers? the ones that have the counter rotation? I'm not exactly sure what they're called but I've seen Bob Villa selling them

hhead · Jul 24, 2006

if there wasn't rust I would suggest those, but....Look at salvage yards for your manifold. shouldn't cost more than $40. Where are you located?

Martyred · Jul 24, 2006

I'm located in Chapel Hill North Carolina.

outlaw66 · Jul 24, 2006

I would pull the head off. Trying to drill a bolt out on a head that is installed is difficult. A trick I have used on aircraft for many years is to weld a nut to the remaining stud, soak it good with penetrating oil and back it out with a wrench. If you are not a good welder, get someone that is. The combination of the heat from welding and penetrating oil usually works well. You've already accomplished the worst part by removing the exhaust manifold. I would have the valves touched up while the head is removed as well. It may be longer than you think till you get your V-8 installed.

Outlaw66

Martyred · Jul 24, 2006

My buddy and i plan to go ahead and remove the head and do a general checkup of the Inline six and all the valves and seals. He has a welding torch so we will check the overall block and head and manifold for any areas that might need a touch up. Clean it up abit and put it back together.

The first actual upgrades i plan to do on the car is to upgrade my suspension and remove the drum brakes and get some disc in there, so that i have control when i drop in a v-8.

Yes i do plan to remove my carpet, my overall intieror is actually in great condition, flash digital camera just makes it look like crap, but i do plan to rip out my carpet, place some type of sound deading material (maybe sheets or sound damping spray compound) and lay down some new fresh carpet... I'm just hesistant to upgrade looks too much especially when i have so much work ahead of me, i'd hate to put a new carpet in the car only to have a leak of something down the road.

Go before show!

Rusty67 · Jul 24, 2006

One of the hardest learned lessons for me when working on my car is using some form of penatrating oil or lubricant when removing bolts/nuts. If you are looking at a bolt and its got rust on it. spray that sucker and let it sit for 5 minutes before you tackle it.

On a side note... I did the rear main seal on my 2000 V6 last week. Not only was it a pain in the arse but the torque converter bolts would NOT come off unless I put some wd-40 on them and let them sit. I actually ended up rounding the head on one and my friend welded a nut to the old nut and then it came off. That car is only 6 years old and there was no rust and I STILL needed lubricant to get those bolts off properly.

Long story short, to prevent rounding your nuts, use lubricant.

Exhaust Manifold leak? Oh i think so...

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